CLEVELAND — Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry could miss multiple games with a sprained medial collateral ligament suffered in Sunday’s win over Houston.
Landry got hurt while being tackled at the end of a 9-yard completion on Cleveland’s second offensive play. He didn’t return in the Browns’ 31-21 home-opening victory.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Landry will be “week to week” but provided no other specifics on a timeline for his return.
Stefanski did not rule Landry out for this week’s game against Chicago. However, it’s unlikely Landry will be back quickly from this type of knee injury, which typically takes three to four weeks of recovery time.
Landry tweeted that he’s been fitted with a knee brace. “Every Time I put this brace on somebody gon have to pay for it in the near future,” he wrote.
Stefanski said “we’ll see” when asked if Landry can avoid going on injured reserve. Any player moved to IR must miss a minimum of three games.
Landry’s loss — for any length of time — is a blow to the Browns. He is a team leader, mentor to Cleveland’s young receivers and one of the league’s most consistent players.
Before going down against the Texans, Landry had caught at least two passes in 111 consecutive games, the fourth-longest such streak in NFL history. The five-time Pro Bowler had never missed a game due to injury before he was sidelined late last season after testing positive for covid-19.
Replacing Landry isn’t easy, but the Browns do have some options while he’s out.
One of them is for Odell Beckham Jr. to return after undergoing season-ending knee surgery in 2020. Beckham appeared in line to start the opener at Kansas City but was inactive after he told Stefanski he wasn’t ready for the workload the Browns had planned for him.
Stefanski said Beckham’s situation “is not dependent” on the availability of any other players. Last week. Stefanski ruled Beckham out several days before the home opener.
“We’ll continue to bring him along and see when he’s ready to go,” Stefanski said.
Also, receiver Davion Davis is eligible to be activated after being suspended two games by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Davis came on strong during training camp and the preseason to earn a roster spot.
